The Laborers Are Few

Luk 10:1-2 GNB
(1) After this the Lord chose another seventy-two men and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go.
(2) He said to them, "There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest.

Have you noticed this passage before? Notice it says... pray for workers to be sent out. Why? Because it's the workers that determine the harvest. Jesus never says here - pray for the harvest. He says to pray that workers will be sent out. If we lack harvest, it will be because the work was not done - not that it couldn't be done.


Luk 10:8-9 GNB
(8) Whenever you go into a town and are made welcome, eat what is set before you,
(9) heal the sick in that town, and say to the people there, 'The Kingdom of God has come near you.'

I've heard it also said by people whom I respect that it's not God's will to heal everyone. I contend that the moment God tells His people - who are called by His name and are indwelt by His Spirit - to go out and heal anyone who is sick, that it became a matter of OUR will, not His. His will was made known - "heal the sick". If the sick aren't healed, why not? Because it wasn't His will? If it wasn't His will, why did He give that choice to someone else? It's a thinker. These weren't 'just his disciples' either. These were 72 followers, many of which still carried around some really screwed-up theology. Having it all together was never a requirement. Being obedient is.

The Harvest IS great and the laborers are few. We must teach that the Kingdom of God is at hand.